LUKE FRAZZA/AFP NIGERIA, JULY 12: During his visit with Obasanjo, Bush vowed not to let terrorists use Africa "as a base to threaten the world".

Posted Sunday, July 13, 2003; 13.05BS
"We need to make our own money so we can buy our own drugs," says Ugandan diplomat Elizabeth Kanyogonya. "We can't say, 'You gave us $15 billion and now it's run out. Give us more.' We want to break that cycle."

Nigeria: Security
outside the president's Abuja hotel, four Nigerians painted all in white bore slogans on their stomachs: world number 1 welcome, read one. George W. Bush you are welcome. But the crowds that lined the capital's streets as Bush sped past were harder to read. They were some of the biggest of his trip, but most people simply stood motionless.

How does Africa really feel about the U.S.? That question has become more important during the war on terror, as Africa has emerged as a source of possible threats. Even if its Muslims resist radicalization, African countries could become safe havens for terrorists. The more democracies, the more cooperation in battling terror. Bush's last stop, Nigeria, is not only Africa's most populous country and the principal African supplier of U.S. oil, but will also likely be the main contributor to a peacekeeping force for Liberia. It has Africa's biggest Muslim population; in February, Osama bin Laden labeled the country "ripe for liberation."

"The best way to fight terror is to support the habits of freedom," says a senior Administration official, "and that was represented in [Bush's] trip here." Helping to secure Africa means helping to secure America. "A situation like you find in Liberia is what festers and drives people to extremism," says ECOWAS' Chambas, who has pushed for a bigger U.S. role. That kind of extremism, too familiar these days, "ultimately, in this global village, might catch up with ordinary people going about their ordinary business — even in America."

Upon arrival in Africa, Bush had said: "Where we see suffering, America will act. Where we find the hungry, we will act." Strong words, but as the President departed, the question was whether he would leave Africa much more than encouraging and at times confessional talk — or whether Miriam Mahlambane's prophecy would come true.

With reporting by Peter Hawthorne/Pretoria

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